Iggy, the 40-foot iguana permanently perched near the zoo entrance, is sporting a cowboy hat these days to remind zoo visitors and motorists on University Avenue that the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo is in progress.

“Like the Stock Show, he has become part of the community here too,” said Alexis Wilson, communications director at the Fort Worth Zoo, about the icon that has been part of the zoo’s landscape since 2010. “He continues to do what art does. He gives people inspiration, he’s fun and he helps us celebrate Fort Worth happenings.”

As you might expect, it takes a pretty large hat to shade an iguana of Iggy’s size. Wilson says his Western-style chapeau measures more than 7 feet from front to back, about 5 feet across and has a crown that is more than 3 feet high.

Sign Up and Save

And don’t let its light color fool you. Wilson is adamant that it is not a straw hat — an unseasonable fashion choice that would make Iggy look like a drugstore cowboy.

“We know our hat etiquette around here. It is a felt hat,” she said, referring to headgear that is suitable for cooler weather. “It was suggested that we make it black so that that would be clear. But Iggy is just not a black hat kind of guy.”

You also won’t be surprised to learn that it is no easy chore to put the hat on the iguana’s head.

“It takes three departments to do it,” Wilson said.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg visited the Fort Worth Stock Show with mayor Betsy Price, pausing to talk about goats before heading in to the rodeo.

Read Next

One of North Texas’ most prominent real estate companies paid $195,000 for the grand champion steer Saturday during the Sale of Champions, an old-school auction that brought the 23-day Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo to its close.